Someone to believe in...

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you are able to spend it connecting with those that you love. It is inevitable that on this day, we think about new beginnings and take stock in what we have going on in our lives right now. I'm not a huge resolution person on New Year's because I feel like you can make goals for yourself at any stage on any day. But I do get the symbolism of it and I love that so many people take a few moments to self reflect and think about things that matter to them. I feel like the world would be a much different place if we all consistently carved out time to try to bring ourselves more happiness. Over the last couple of weeks as we get ready for this month's Meraki event, I have thought a lot about the vision for my life. If I am going to be guiding others to clarify, affirm & protect their vision, am I doing that myself? And what I have realized is that in order to have a clear vision for my life, there have to be some beliefs in place for me in order for that vision to be something other than just words that make me feel better. A belief is just a thought I practice so what if I practiced thinking in ways that would help me to create a vision that supports the life that I want?

1) I have to believe that there is a bigger picture and something greater than myself at work. I am not here to tell you what that is exactly in your life. I believe we are all on our own spiritual journeys and it is not my intent to do anything other than support you in yours. But I am saying you have to acknowledge that you are in fact on a journey and there is something bigger than you in play.

2) I have to recognize that I am more than the circumstances of my life. When I take inventory of my life, I have to be really careful on how I let the things that have happened to me define me. I have to think of my life as a book and the things that happen are just chapters, paragraphs, even small sentences. They are part of a bigger story that is being told. Just because something happens to me does not mean I have to give it the power to define me. Sometimes I have to acknowledge the fact that whatever it is helped influence me along the way, but it never had the power to change me unless I gave it that power.

3) I have to have faith that I can handle whatever comes my way. This is an incredibly difficult one. We don't want to think about this one and I totally get it. In fact, I advise you not to think negatively all the time so I would be a hypocrite if I told you to begin mentally preparing for all of the ways life is going to drop a bomb on you. But here is what I know- tough things are going to happen. Loss & grief are inevitable. Challenges & obstacles are a part of life. I believe in my heart that many of us spend our daily energy trying to protect ourselves from anything that may hurt us. We do this in so many different ways. We self medicate so we don't feel the sting of the emotion that couples with connection. We distract ourselves from having to feel the pain of others letting us down. We keep ourselves contained in very structured lives so that we can lessen the risk of failure in whatever it is that we really want. We tell ourselves that things have to happen a certain way and create rules in our lives to support this so that we are not vulnerable. If certain things do not happen, we tell ourselves that we could not function and could definitely not be happy. We define ourselves by these conditions and this is easier for us than going into the unknown because fear & anxiety are so uncomfortable for us that we will avoid it at all cost. Sometimes I think that having faith in myself is also some weird invitation for life to bring me more chaos or lessons to be learned. I have learned many life lessons through pain and I really do not want any more. But the fact of the matter is that I have managed to survive every single bad day or tough circumstance that has come my way...every single one. I figure it out. I rally the troops. I lean into the frustration or pain or sadness and I push through it. I have done this with every single thing in my life and so have you. You have faced whatever fear has come and you have turned it into something that would work in your life. You have to have confidence that you can handle anything that comes your way or you will stifle the vision that is sitting inside of you waiting, whatever that might be.

These 3 things are huge challenges. I know they are not simple steps. But for a second, consider how your life might be different if you not only believed these things but remembered them and let them affect your daily decisions.

I believe that there is a bigger plan at work and something greater than myself. I believe that I am more than the circumstances of my life. I believe that I can handle anything that comes my way.

If you can begin working on these three things, I promise you that your vision will clarify itself to you because you are giving it space & permission to do so.

When I believe these 3 things, I am in fact believing in myself. I am allowing myself to be something greater than how life tells me to define myself. If I want good, positive, happy things to come into my life....I have to allow them in. I have to make space for them. I have to take a step back from the day to day stresses and the rules I have created and I have to pay attention. I have to recognize my blessings when they show up. I have to lead a grateful life and put out the energy that I want to attract. It's ok for me to want more. It's totally ok for me to say that I want some areas of my life to change or get better. That is the human way. We are always looking for the next thing to work on or change. We constantly spend our energy on ways to feel better. Having a clear vision for our lives will help us to intentionally work toward the life that we want. And I don't know about you, but I would much rather go to bed at night knowing that I have lived intentionally with purpose and am working toward goals that will help myself and others as opposed to just surviving my day. The vision for my life has to start with believing in myself. My New Year's resolution starts with me. What if I am worth more than I originally thought? I am more than the dialogue in my own head...more than the modern day definition of success. I am energy and a positive force in this world. I play an important role in the bigger picture of life. What I do matters. What I do affects other people.

This is true whether I choose to believe it or not.

What if I took a risk to truly believe in myself and live the life that I want? What if I really did live with intention & purpose? What if I believed that I am here for a reason and I play a really important role in life? I am telling you that if we did, we would have no choice but to find our vision. It's not a choice. Not an option. Our vision has to show itself because that is what we are here to do. Wishing for all of us that 2018 is a year of health, happiness & joy. But most of all, my wish is that you see yourself for who you really are. You love yourself for who you really are. You believe in you and the power you have to make your life mean something so much more than you think.

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